PH detects 2 more mpox patients; active cases now 5

Two more mpox cases have been detected in the country this August—one in Metro Manila and another in Calabarzon, the Department of Health (DOH) said Wednesday.

This brought the total mpox caseload to 14 since July 2022. Of them, nine have long recovered since 2023, while five are active cases waiting for symptoms to resolve.

According to DOH, the 13th case is a 26-year-old female from National Capital Region (NCR), who started showing symptoms on August 20, including rashes on her face and back accompanied by fever.

Days after, additional rashes developed on her pubic area, arms, and torso. She also had sore throat and swollen neck lymph nodes.

"She did not travel anytime three weeks before her symptoms started; she also did not go around even as she had symptoms," the DOH said.

Two close contacts were identified from the 13th case, but the DOH said they currently do not have symptoms.

The patient now continues her recovery at home, under close and continuing monitoring by local health authorities.

The 14th case, meanwhile, is a 12-year-old male from Calabarzon who had symptoms since August 10. He initially had a fever and eventually developed rashes mainly on the face, legs, trunk, and pubic area extending to other parts of the body. He also had cough and swollen lymph nodes at the groin area.

He had no travel history three weeks before his symptoms started, the DOH said.

The case also continues to recover at home, under close and continuing monitoring by local health authorities.

Local government units where cases 13 and 14 are from were already informed of the situation.

The DOH said that both new cases were infected with MPXV Clade II, which is a milder form of the mpox virus.

“Initial investigation is consistent with earlier findings of local transmission of clade II. Details are being verified as to how close and intimate, skin-to-skin contact may have taken place,” it added.

The current five active mpox cases were all detected this month.

The 10th case–the first detected this year–was a 33-year-old male Filipino national with no travel history outside the Philippines "but with close, intimate contact three weeks before symptom onset."

This was followed by two more confirmed cases who were both from NCR.

DOH Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo earlier said the Health Department cannot determine yet any epidemiologic linkages of the 11th and 12th cases with the 10th case.

Rashes, lesions

Common symptoms of mpox include a skin rash or mucosal lesions, which can last two to four weeks. The rashes are accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes.

The DOH said that anyone can get mpox, and the virus can be transmitted to humans through close and intimate contact with someone who is infectious, through contaminated materials like used clothes or utensils, or through infected animals.

The public has been advised to use soap and water to kill the virus, and to use gloves when washing contaminated materials.

The DOH last Thursday said that it already signified intent from the World Health Organization (WHO) to get access to smallpox vaccines to help protect against the mpox virus.

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa earlier said that the Philippines is in the process of securing 2,000 doses of mpox vaccines that have been offered to the country.

READ: What is Mpox? Everything you need to know about the virus that is now global concern

—AOL/VDV, GMA Integrated News